Love for eternity
by Lizzy Weasley
Summary: Legolas has to marry, but he doesn't know his future bride and his heart belongs to Altiriel, another elf. Rated for sexual content, really fluffy and romantic.ONE SHOT.


_Mae Govannen, my dear friends. I've finally written another LotR fanfiction and I am quite happy about that. _

_I hope that you will like it. Please be nice because I've never written something like this before. A review would be nice. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own The Lord of the Rings or Legolas, but Altiriel is my character. I also don't own the two proverbs about love that I've used. They are from the site of Herman de Zwaan. _

Love for eternity

_Love is the one word that we use every day, and the one word that words cannot define. (Anna K. Schwartz)_

He ran through the forest without making a single sound – the gift of all elves.

He should rather be very noisy now, with all the others of his kin because his father, the king, held a feast for him in his palace.

It was a warm summer night and everything around them was green, scenting wonderfully, but the forest was also terrifying as it was very dark and you could hardly see the sky above.

Thranduil had accentuated that it was very important that Legolas was present at the feast because he was to salute the group of elves from Lothlórien, which came to visit them.

Among these elves, there was the prince's future bride.

And that was also the reason why Legolas would not go to the feast.

He was quite sure that his father would be really angry at him for volunteering looking for Orcs in the forest that night instead of celebrating his engagement, but it didn't matter to him. He didn't want to marry a woman, whom he didn't know at all. He wouldn't marry her.

His father tended to treat him like a child, but he was already a grown-up elf and could make his own decisions. Therefore, he knew that he would not marry this elf, whoever she might be.

King Thranduil had told him nothing about her and he knew that he would never be able to love her because his heart belonged to another elf.

He sighed. He had not seen her for many hundred years.

The memory of Altiriel of Lothlórien came back to his mind and created a smile on his noble face.

Since his last visit in Lothlórien – he still was a young elf then – he had wondered if his love had to think about him as often as he had to think about her or if she had already forgotten him.

Legolas tried to bring Altiriel's beautiful face back to his mind. She had long, dark-brown hair that looked like dark gold; her eyes were as green as the leaves of his beloved trees; a light surrounded her all the time; she was tall and slim and her light skin was smooth; Altiriel was also very friendly, witty and intelligent and would be a great warrior if her parents would let her fight.

His heart ached when he had completed the picture of her in his mind and so, he focused on his environment – not too early: suddenly, his sharp elven-ears heard the swoosh of an arrow, flying directly towards him.

He only had the time to turn around, when the arrow hit the tree next to him, missing his head by some inches.

With this arrow, all the memories and the pain was back, but also joy.

The prince knew this salutation very well because only one elf would use it: Altiriel – his Altiriel.

A hooded figure ran towards him, the bow still in hand.

And suddenly, Altiriel, whom Legolas had seen so often in his dreams, was standing directly in front of him. She had taken down her hood and looked directly into his clear blue eyes.

She had become even more beautiful than before, if that was possible, because now there was also a deep wisdom in her eyes.

Altiriel was clad in the clothes of a ranger with many different types of green; she wore trousers and gloves. But nothing could hide her beauty and her femininity.

"Mae Govannen, Legolas." She smiled at the Prince of Mirkwood and the dark wood seemed to become lighter around them.

Her gaze reopened half healed wounds in his heart.

"Mae Govannen, Altiriel."

That was everything. They didn't have to say more before they fell into the arms of their beloved one.

So, she had not forgotten him.

When Legolas had found out that the group of elves that would come to Mirkwood would be sent from the Golden Forest, he had desperately hoped that she would be with them. Now, he knew that he really could never love another elf because she was his only love, his true love.

Legolas and Altiriel had been friends as long as they could remember. The female elf had been born only some days after the Prince and as their parents had used to visit each other very often in these times – merrier times – they had become close friends, best friends.

They had even spent some years together in Mirkwood and Lothlórien.

Legolas had shared all his secrets with Altiriel; they had always understood each other without having to say one word.

But they had also talked about everything: their fears, their joys, their feelings…

Even about their own relationship, which had become more and more intense with the years.

When they had become older, they had also shared their first kiss and their first love. But the Prince had always known in his heart that she wouldn't stay his first love, that she would be his only and true love, for ever.

But then, dark times had begun and they hadn't been able to visit each other any longer.

The years had passed, full of grief, despair and longing and Legolas had thought that he would never see Altiriel again, his beloved Altiriel.

Now, she was in his strong arms and it was like a dream to him.

He would marry her even if that meant that he had to leave his home and his own people and friends. It would make him very sad and ache, of course, but if there was no other solution…

In the morning of the following day Legolas would tell his father and Altiriel's parents. He really was afraid of doing this and his beloved one must have felt his feeling or read it in his blue eyes as she clung to him even harder and touched his golden hair with one hand.

After some moments, which seemed like an eternity to the lovers, Legolas broke away from Altiriel and asked her the question that was burning on his tongue: "Why have you not gone to the feast?"

She looked into his eyes and replied seriously: "I wanted to be alone for a while and think about everything." She sighed. "And I was a bit afraid of seeing you again."

The prince could tell that her voice was trembling a bit and he could see pain in her eyes.

Did she know why his father was holding this feast?

It was the only explanation for the sadness in her eyes.

Then, she broke their eye contact for the first time and looked down to the ground.

Legolas took her face into his hands and made her look back at him: "I am glad that you are here now. I have missed you so much!"

Altiriel's green eyes looked back into his blue eyes and her charming smile was back.

"All these years I wanted to tell you something, but I couldn't as we have been separated by the great evil in these lands. But I will tell you now."

The prince took Altiriel back into his strong arms and breathed into her ear: "Altiriel, I love you and I always will, no matter what will happen."

He could feel a shiver running through Altiriel's body and when he looked back into her eyes, he could see that she felt the same for him.

The conviction in his voice made her feel save and made her believe in their love.

Then, they weren't able to hold back their desire any longer and fell into a long, passionate and longing kiss.

Their tongues met and caressed each other. They kissed as if it was their last kiss because they were afraid of losing each other for a second time.

They gently broke apart and Legolas looked deeply into Altiriel's eyes, finding there nothing but love.

Another heart melting kiss followed and the two elves slowly sank down onto the soft green ground of Mirkwood.

Then, they started to unclothe each other, not able to separate their lips. Legolas saw Altiriel like nobody had ever seen her before and she saw him, but they were not ashamed, if felt right to them both, it felt natural.

When they started to explore their lover's body with their lips, tongues and hands, they finally found out the last secrets that had been between them.

A great happiness was everywhere in Legolas's veins and his heart was pounding madly.

There was nothing that could separate them now, there was only love.

When Legolas entered, the two lovers became one. They were two halves of one whole, which had lost each other and now, finally, found back to each other.

The lovers came together and it was the most wonderful, exciting and happy moment that they had ever experienced.

The usually gloomy and frightening wood around them seemed to become lighter and merrier and the light seemed to come from the two elves, united in love.

It was so intense – Legolas had never felt anything like that before.

When Altiriel fell asleep in his arms afterwards, the prince could see peace and love in her face and he also fell asleep, with a smile on his face.

ooo

The two elves woke up the next morning and were able to watch a beautiful sunrise through the treetops, in fact the most beautiful sunrise that anybody had ever in seen in Mirkwood. The forest had lost its threat to them.

Legolas still had the smile on his face because of the memory of the last night, but he also knew that they would have to get to the palace of his father as soon as possible, or Thranduil would send other elves to search for them.

The prince would go back – he felt no more fear – and he would tell his father that he would marry Altiriel and nobody else, the conviction was as strong as never before.

The lovers dressed each other playfully and before they rose from their bivouac, Legolas drew Altiriel into his arms for one more time and kissed her even more passionately than before.

And before they broke apart, he whispered into her ear: "I love you, Altiriel, you and nobody else!"

Altiriel looked into his eyes and saw the truth of his words and his conviction there.

She was ready to follow him, wherever he would go to.

"I love you too"

Legolas got up and pulled his love up into his arms again.

Then they walked to the huge palace on the eastern edge of Mirkwood and found that the soldiers of the king were already looking for them.

When they entered the great hall with the king's throne, they saw Thranduil and Altiriel's parents pace the hall. They immediately looked up and Altiriel's mother embraced her daughter with tears in her eyes.

"Where in the Valars' names have you two been?" the king asked strictly.

Legolas didn't intend to answer any questions, as he wanted to tell his father and Altiriel's parents that he loved Altiriel and would marry her or nobody else.

"Father, I –"But the King interrupted him: "Well, at least you have met your future bride and you, Altiriel, your future husband!"

He smiled kindly.

Legolas had to smile, too, after hearing this. So, Altiriel had come to Mirkwood to marry him, but she also hadn't known whom she was to marry and that had been the reason for the pain in her eyes.

The older elves seemed to want to say something, but nothing mattered to the happy couple any longer.

Legolas drew Altiriel into his arms and they shared another wonderful kiss, making their parents smile and think back to their own youth.

Now, the two lovers were really united for eternity.

_Love is the unity of two hearts beating together as one._

The End


End file.
